For years now there has been talk of the tremendous potential Goa has to transform itself into a silicon valley. Goa with its cosmopolitan atmosphere, excellent educational facilities and world class recreational facilities offers what all IT professional yearn for - High quality of life. IT professionals who work very hard also crave for an environment which will optimise their productivity. Despite the success of D-Link and Control Net all the grandiose plans to convert Goa into a Cyderabad have not borne fruit. The Goan Observer IT special takes a comprehensive look at all the aspects of IT in the state.

In an exclusive interview to JONQUIL SUDHIR the President of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the hi-profile GM of D-Link, Nitin Kuncolienkar focuses on the obstacles to the growth of the IT industry in the State. LEO D’MELLO, a computer buff provides some simple guidelines for the novice computer enthusiast. We also bring you a comprehensive guide in IT and the listing of institutes that offer training facilities that equip you with a career in IT.

We are sure you will enjoy the Goan Observer IT Special. If dil and demaak maange more write to us at goanobserver@hotmail.com

WHEN BUYING A COMPUTER LOOK FOR…

Let me try an analogy in helping you understand computers. A computer is somewhat like a human body.

It consists of

a. Hardware

b. Software.

Hardware, I can loosely compare as the organs and skeletons of a human body while software is like a bank of memory, intelligence and voluntary and involuntary commands.

Hardware
Generally a computer would consists of

1. Motherboard ( The main foundation…like that of a building)

2. CPU i.e. Central Processing Unit (The brains in simple words)

3. RAM i.e. memory (The brain’s secretary in other words)

4. Hard-disk. (HDD) (Where all those thousands of documents, songs and photos get stored)

5. Floppy disk drive (FDD) (where you insert those small palm sized floppies)

6. CD Rom drive (Which plays Video/ Movie/ Music and Data Discs etc..)

Today you can also get a CD writer/ DVD combo for a slightly extra cost. A combo drive is one where you can play all those regular video/music/data discs plus it can play DVD’s and can also write to CD’s to backup your valuable data, photographs or movies etc.)

7. Display Card (it gives you display on the monitor or the computer T.V…as you would like to call it)

8. Modem (Optional – if you want to connect to the Internet, but then who doesn’t, so its hardly optional today)

9. ATX Cabinet + The SMPS (Standard Mode Power Supply unit)

10. Ethernet card (Optional – if you want to connect to other computers in your house or office).

All the above will be encased in a cabinet.

Make sure that the cabinet has a good cooling system i.e. there are ample of those small fans to drive out all the heat generated inside the cabinet.

You will also require a Keyboard and a mouse. You have the option of going in for a wireless keyboard and mouse. This saves the hassle of wires getting entangled.

Then comes the monitor. Here again depending on your budget, you can go for the old CRT monitors (like your T.V.) to the new sleek (a bit expensive) LCD monitors (like the ones in “Kaun Banega Crorepati). There are a variety of sizes to suit your pocket.

You will definitely need a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply). The new ones come with a Voltage stabilizer and Spike arrest. Get a good brand. In Goa, we face constant power fluctuations and shutdowns. This can cause a great deal of damage to your computer parts. Hence its worth buying a good UPS.

Software
Now this is the interesting bit. You have to choose an OS (Operating system). There are three choices – Windows, Macintosh (Mac) and Linux.

Reminds me of a story of a lady who phoned Helpline asking for help – because her computer was not working properly. The Helpline Operator asked her the basic question, “Ma’am, are you working under Windows?”.

Immediately light sprang in her eyes. She looked around at her colleagues in the office and smiled.

“Thanks Sir”, she said, “You have solved my problem. My colleague John has his computer under a window and its working fine. The other colleague Laxmi has her computer under another window and that’s fine too. But stupid me, I was sitting near a door and no wonder my computer always has problems.”

Without confusing you too much about the pros and cons of the three OSs, suffice to say that if you are a starter, use Windows.

Now that you have an Operating system, you also need other software to work applications, such as Word, Excel, Outlook Express / Internet explorer etc. These come bundled in the Microsoft Windows Office package.

(If you don’t understand any of these applications or how to put them in your computer, catch hold of the vendor who set up your computer or approach your friendly computer engineer neighbour)

You also need to buy a pack from internet service providers to use the net, Satyam, BSNL, Reliance, Tata etc. (I presume you have a telephone line.) Tip. BSNL offers (for residential users) a dedicated line for Rs 399 per month. You can keep it on for 24 hours and still you will be billed only Rs 399. But you will also have to buy the service pack with unlimited time.

If you are going to go on the net, please do not forget to install an Anti Virus software package. Good ones are Norton, AVG. AVG also has a free version, which is available on the net for download.

Desktops / Laptops / Notebooks
If you can afford a laptop, then you can forget about the hassle of getting a branded / assembled desktop. There are notebooks available today for as low as Rs 50,000. The government also has relaxed duty on imported notebooks. Every traveler coming into India can bring one notebook along. The prices abroad are slightly lower but most dealers do not give international warranty.

If you are buying your computer from your local dealer, make sure he gives you a free service warranty of at least one year. Check on his other clients to ascertain his service record (how quickly he responds to calls, how well he does it etc) and don’t forget to shop around – prices keep dropping and competition is high – but in the bargain of bargaining – don’t get shortchanged for inferior parts and then spend heaps on replacing them. (I’ve heard in Bombay, dealers just ask – what is your budget and then they have a system to just ‘perfectly fit’ your budget. Beware of such.). Explain to the vendor what you intend using your computer for, then add in the possibilities of, say 6 months down the line, what more you might want out of it.

It’s a fact of life that your computer will seem very outdated after a year and you will want to upgrade some or all the parts. Make sure, the vendor keeps ‘space’ for upgrading or adding on hardware. Also check, if he will buy back / upgrade your computer few months down the line. Make sure he gives you a thorough demo of the system while installing. Don’t feel embarrassed to ask questions. Also ask him, what sort of “User Maintenance” needs to be done by you.

This should be enough information to get started.

(The writer can be contacted at leogoa@hotmail.com)

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